CIRCLEVILLE — The Circleville Police Department has terminated the officer who let his K-9 loose on a truck driver on July 4 because “he did not meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers,” Chief G. Shawn Baer said in a statement released moments ago.
Officer Ryan Speakman’s firing is effective immediately and followed a review of his canine apprehension of suspect Jadarrius Rose, Chief Baer said in the statement released Wednesday afternoon.
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“Our investigation included the Circleville Police Use of Force Review Board determination that the department’s policy for the use of canines was followed in the apprehension and arrest,” the chief said. “It’s important to understand that the Review Board is charged only with determining whether an employee’s actions in the use of force incident were within department policies and procedures.”
The Review Board does not have the authority to recommend discipline.
Further, Chief Baer said, Shallow Creek Kennels Inc., the Pennsylvania-based police service dog training facility that trained the dog involved in the incident, affirmed that its training protocols were followed.
Circleville’s canines are being sent to Shallow Creek for evaluation and annual training. Shallow Creek Kennels’ training protocols are standard for service dogs deployed by the U.S. military, police departments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and scores of police departments across the United States and Canada.
“We know the video of the incident is upsetting and has attracted widespread attention and comments, including Gov. Mike DeWine raising the issue of training,” Baer said.
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“While we certainly respect Gov. DeWine’s views and are always ready to discuss how to improve police training, Circleville’s canine teams of dogs and officers are trained and certified to meet current Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission-recognized standards,” Baer said.
“Each canine team is recertified annually to a current nationally recognized standard or other recognized and approved certification standard, as outlined in the Ohio Administrative Code for certification of law enforcement canine units. In short, we meet or exceed all current Ohio laws and standards for police training for our canine teams,” the chief said.
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